Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Yusif Sulemana (PhD), has called for a new approach to international forest financing that is predictable, people-centred and anchored in national systems.

Speaking at the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) Roundtable in New York, Dr Sulemana said the success of global efforts to protect tropical forests would depend on whether financing mechanisms could provide dependable support to countries and communities working to keep forests standing.

Drawing on Ghana’s experience with REDD+, he identified three priorities for the TFFF: predictable financing with clear eligibility and payment rules, transparent benefit-sharing that gives local communities a direct stake in forest protection, and the use of existing national monitoring, safeguards and benefit-sharing systems to reduce costs and strengthen accountability.

Dr Sulemana also reaffirmed Ghana’s request, submitted in July, for representation on the TFFF Interim Board, arguing that the country’s practical experience could help ensure that African tropical forest realities are reflected in the facility’s development.

He thanked Norway and Brazil for their leadership and challenged international partners to ensure that forest finance delivers dependable support for countries protecting their forests.